This article is titled: “Making War: Implications for both Church and State Policy of Christian Theology, International Law, and the Constitution” by Archbishop Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Lt. Col., USAF, ret. National Commander, “The Patriots” & Primate, United Catholic Church (a 2009 update of an article first published in March 1995) The article is at this link: Christianity and war — MakingWar2009A
The Port of Olympia issued a news release celebrating military troops and saying that the Port, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Olympia Yacht club will loudly blow sirens and horns to “salute the troops” on at 7:45 a.m. on September 6, 2019. Law enforcement agencies and a variety of other local entities and power centers would supportively participate. Mainstream America and powerful sectors within the U.S. want to “support the troops.” I’m still waiting for nearly 50 years for any local governments to celebrate Conscientious Objectors – the many people in the U.S. (such as me) and elsewhere whose […]
Olympia’s monthly publication Works In Progress invited people to write articles for their October 2019 issue around the theme of “The Rest of the World.” I submitted the article linked below, and I think you will enjoy reading it too (whether or not they print it). Replace militarism with nonviolent foreign policy — based on Oct 2019 WIP article
The U.S. has been leading the world in escalating military violence using DRONES as weapons and militarizing space to assign targets for the U.S.’s drones to attack. The U.S. has TARGETED INDIVIDUALS AND KILLED THEM without ever charging them with crimes, allowing any fair trials or due process. The U.S. President’s say-so is enough to murder individuals. The U.S. has been using drones in this way — and also attacking groups of people, civilian buildings, and more — for a number of years. President Obama radically and recklessly escalated his drone wars beyond what Bush/Cheney had done, and Trump is […]
Every year several holidays celebrate war and militarism: Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Veterans Day are national holidays. In many, many ways militarism is honored and celebrated, but peace and people with religious and conscientious objections to war are ignored, if not vilified. On September 4, 2019, the Port of Olympia announced that it will celebrate military troops on Sept. 6 with sirens and flashing lights. I’m still waiting for nearly 50 years for any local governments to celebrate Conscientious Objectors – the many people in the U.S. and elsewhere whose consciences or religious faiths prevent us from […]
A retired Air Force officer who was raised Catholic wrote this powerful article. It deserves to be read widely. Here it is: https://truthout.org/articles/military-might-is-our-national-religion/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=f6a2f5ca-73b0-41a9-bf35-b85dcd8f0210
Just now I responded to an e-mail survey sent out by a prominent nationwide non-profit org that works to reduce gun violence throughout the U.S. They asked what their top priority should be. I said they should work to stop all of the U.S.’s war’ and de-militarize our foreign policy. I told them that the U.S.’s addiction to war and military violence create a culture that assumes shooting people is a good way to solve problems. The U.S.’s persistent militarism sets the tone for gun violence within the U.S. This really is “the elephant in the room” that the anti-gun […]
NOW IS THE TIME TO TELL THE GOVERNMENT TO STOP DRAFT REGISTRATION — and abolish the draft agency (Selective Service System) altogether. For a few years the government has been studying what to do about draft registration: End it? Include women? Require everybody to serve in some way or another? I have posted information about this on my blog: http://parallaxperspectives.org/category/military-service-recruitment-draft-conscientious-objection Here is a late April 2019 update on the military draft registration hearing: Edward Hasbrouck (a draft resister and active member of Courage to Resist (www.couragetoresist.org) is an invited panelist on April 25 at the National Commission on Military, National, […]
A federal judge rules it’s unconstitutional to register ONLY men for the military draft. For a long time before that decision, the federal government had been studying what to do about the draft: — Register women too — Require mandatory “national service” in military or civilian jobs — Abolish the draft altogether. I’ve been following this closely, and there is no indication yet what decision the federal inquiry will propose. Now that a federal judge has ruled it unconstitutional to register only men, this forces the issue into one of the options listed above. See this article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/24/military-draft-judge-rules-male-only-registration-unconstitutional/2968872002/ MORE […]
A few days ago I posted to my blog this information about the fact that the mass-murderer at the high school in Parkland, Florida, had learned how to become an expert marksman because he actually attended that same high school and was enrolled in its Junior ROTC program: http://parallaxperspectives.org/the-mass-murderer-at-parkland-florida-was-trained-by-junior-rotc-at-that-school This tragedy shows that BOTH militarism AND guns are out of control. Schools with Junior ROTC programs are training their students to commit mass murder — in the military against people in other countries — and perhaps also in their own local schools. WE MUST STOP THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE! […]
A few months ago the federal government invited people to answer these seven questions about the future of the military draft: 1. Is a military draft or draft contingency still a necessary component of U.S. national security? 2. Are modifications to the selective service system needed? 3. How can the United States increase participation in military, national, and public service by individuals with skills critical to address the national security and other public service needs of the nation? 4. What are the barriers to participation in military, national, or public service? 5. Does service have inherent value, and, if so, […]
Savvy people have been recognizing that the U.S. economy really needs immigrant workers. We do not have enough native-born workers for many jobs. And I don’t mean only working on farms and in restaurants. The U.S. imports a great many skilled workers: nurses, doctors, computer programmers, and so forth. For many decades the U.S. has been sending our troops to fight totally unnecessary wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Only recently has the government been admitting that many troops become disabled through PTSD and other physical and mental disabilities. Actually, the numbers are much, much higher than the government […]
President Kennedy said wars will continue until conscientious objectors who refuse to fight are appreciated as much as soldiers are. Most nations celebrate their people who make war, but almost no nations celebrate their people who make peace. Grassroots people who organize to urge their nations to create nonviolent foreign policies deserve respect and appreciation. So also do those people — those in the military and those facing the military draft — who REFUSE TO FIGHT BECAUSE OF THEIR CONSCIENCES. These Conscientious Objectors are recognized on May 15 of every year. If you want information about Conscientious Objection — either […]
Early in 2018 a federal government commission exploring the future of the military draft invited comments. I submitted the responses shown below through this government website: http://www.inspire2serve.gov/content/share-your-thoughts The Commission’s website asked these questions. (My answers are listed below them.) The Commission seeks to learn more about why people serve and why people may choose not to serve, as well as ways to increase the number of Americans in military, national, and public service. The Commission welcomes comments from the public on any aspect of the Commission’s mission, including the following questions: 1. Is a military draft or draft contingency still […]
For many decades it has been easy to join the military: Just sign up and go through the process. But if you are a Conscientious Objector, it has been VERY HARD to get the federal government to recognize your human right — whether you are facing the military draft or whether you had previously enlisted in the military and now discover that you are a Conscientious Objector. We should REVERSE THE “BURDEN OF PROOF.” Our nation should recognize: Of course a mentally healthy and morally healthy person would not want to kill other people. This should be the default assumption. […]
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